Affinity
by Practically Venomous
Summary: It was an accident; well, not an accident, but a delivery. A delivery that practically sent her life spiraling down the drain. Well, that's how it seemed, anyway... KaoruOC KaoruXOC
1. Yukio's YumYums

**A/N:** Hello and welcome to my latest attempt at fanfiction *fanfare*...AFFINITY! I rather liked the word. It was either that or Risque...But there is nothing really sexual about this fanfic, so that wouldn't have worked out. Um...Lex says hi. Anyway, feedback please. I'm planning to actually finish this one! I know; amazing, huh? ;) Well... Yeah... Feedback. Help. Me. Please. Thank. You. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. If I did the Host Club would learn to ride unicycles. Or learn to whistle with crackers in their mouths. ^^

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"Wotcher!" _

_ "Oh, um, hello Elena," the Japanese teenager said quietly from her seat on her bed. "Where did you go? You weren't gone for long…"_

_ "What? I was gone for __**hours**__. My brother, Kurt, was on the hit and decided to offer someone out…It was a huge mess."_

_ The Japanese girl looked at her roommate in confusion. "I'm sorry, but what happened?"_

_ "God, Arisu. You'd think that after living in London for two months you would've picked up on some of our expressions…" the English brunette shook her head in fake disappointment. "My brother, Kurt, got drunk off his ass and tried to start a fight. It was a huge mess." She grinned and added, "Did that help?" _

_ "Ah. Yes. Arigatou." _

_ Elena eyed the Japanese girl carefully before plopping down on the bed beside her._

_ "What's wrong, Arisu? You seem a bit off your rocker…"_

_ "I guess I'm just a little homesick."_

_ "Homesick? I've seen you homesick. __**This**__ is far more serious." She proceeded in trying to glare the diagnosis out of her roommate with no avail. "JUST TELL ME DAMMIT!" _

_ Arisu went tense for a moment, but relaxed almost immediately. "It's a long story and I don't think you'll be very interested…"_

_ "How could I not be interested?! I finally get to hear about Japan and your family and Japan and cherry blossoms and kimono and, and Japan!!!!!!!!" _

_ "Uh…Okay…" At that moment, Arisu Hirohata was trying to figure out how she got a spastic Englishwoman as her roommate… "Where should I start?"_

_ "Is there any other option besides the beginning?"_

_ The Japanese girl looked exasperatedly at her roommate before clearing her throat to begin…_

I was born…a baby…at Ohtori Tokyo Hospital. I surprised my parents quite a bit with my gender. They figured that I would be a boy. Their first three children were boys, so they just assumed that I would be too, I guess.

_"You have __**brothers**__!? Are they __**hot**__?!" Elena asked, wide-eyed._

_ "…May I continue?"_

_ "Oh. Yeah. Sorry."_

My three older brothers are named Kichiro, Yukio, and Akio. Kichiro is ten years older than me and just got married into a very influential family. Yukio is five years older and is the owner of a café near my school. And Akio is still a third-year at Ouran Academy.

Ouran Academy has been my school since junior high. Since my family isn't among the most elite, I would be in class 2-B in Japan.

I suppose that that's where our real story begins; at Ouran Academy, that is.

It was a day like any other. I woke up and went to school. The only thing different about that particular day was that Yukio asked me to make a delivery for him. I couldn't very well refuse, seeing as the products were to be delivered to a room in my school. Even though I had gone to the high school portion of Ouran for two years already, I had _no idea_ where I was going.

All Yukio had written on the delivery note was:

"**Ouran High School Host Club: Music Room 3.**

**1 kilo of tea**

**2 kilos of Columbian coffee**

**50 strawberry pastries**

**4.5 kilos of decaf coffee**

Confirmation of sale:Hirohata, Yukio

Confirmation of delivery: ___________"

Like I knew where Music Room 3 was… I remember thinking to myself about how much Yukio owed me for this as I made my way up the grand staircase with the heavy wooden crates.

After about twenty minutes, I finally found Music Room 3. I wondered what kind of club the Host Club would be, and why they would need so much decaf coffee… I took a breath and slowly turned the golden door handle. Rose petals swirled towards me and voices erupted harmoniously saying, "Welcome."

I just stood there. I just stood and stared at the seven beautiful boys that just greeted me. They just stood and stared back at me in traditional kimono. I must have been quite a sight, dressed in a short-ish brown skirt, a white shirt, and a dark green apron reading: "Hirohata Coffee House." I guess it could've been worse. Yukio originally wanted to name his café "Yukio's Yum-Yums." Thank God we talked him out of that one…

Before my arms almost fell off, a very tall, black-haired guy took the crates from my arms and put them on a table near the back of the room. "Th-thank you," I stuttered.

Another black-haired boy stepped forward and adjusted his glasses. He took the delivery note out of my hand without a word and scribbled something on it. When it was returned to me, the bottom line read:

"Confirmation of delivery: **Ohtori, Kyoya**"

"So who are you?" a pair of twins encircled me and I blushed deep red.

"I'm…uh…"

"Hirohata, Arisu. Class 2-B. Her father owns Hirohata Imports. Two of her brothers have graduated from Ouran and her other brother, Hirohata, Akio, is in class 3-B and in the Kendo Club," the boy with glasses reported.

"So you're Aki-chan's little sister?" a short blonde with a stuffed bunny asked, tugging on my shirt. "He's the one who usually delivers those big, heavy crates."

"Uh, yeah… Akio, I mean, Aki-chan, is my older brother."

"According to my records, Arisu-san is at the top of her class… That's impressive, I must say," glasses boy added.

"Thank you," I squinted down at the delivery note for glasses boy's name, "Ohtori-kun."

Over the next few minutes, a bubbly blonde named Suoh, Tamaki introduced me to the whole club and forced me to stay to "observe club activities." I'm sorry that I ever asked him what exactly it was that his club did…

_"What do they do?! What do they do?! For God's sake, Arisu, spit it out!"_

_ "…First of all," the Japanese girl started, "you are __**way**__ too into this… Second of all, don't you have a Japanese language test to study for?"_

_ "…Maybe…But I don't __**understand**__ Japanese!"_

_ "Then why did you take that class?"_

_ "Well, I have a native of Japan as a roommate! I figured that I would get an easy A!"_

_ "Wrong, dumbass." Arisu shook her head and added, "I'll tell you more later… If I feel like it." _

* * *

"_**And I would wait and watch the hours fall in a hundred separate lines  
But I regain repose and wonder how I ended up inside…" –New Perspective—Panic! At the Disco**_


	2. Suoh Chibis

**A/N:** So sorry! So sorry! I've been a bad author... I haven't updated this in forever. But not to worry! It is here! So, um yeah. If you have any suggestions, that would be great. Sorry if Kaoru is a bit OOC this chapter. I was having troubles with him.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. But if I did, Tamaki would learn how to tap dance! ^_^

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"Ahh..." Elena slammed her book shut and stretched. _

_ "I suppose that you're done studying?" Arisu asked, not looking up from her book. _

_ "__Absobloodylutely!" she got a hopeful look in her eyes. "So will you tell me the rest of your story?!" she asked, bouncing around. _

_ "No," she said bluntly. Elena pouted. Arisu couldn't help but be reminded of Tamaki and Hunny. If it were possible for them to bear a child, Elena Ackerman would be it._

_ Elena looked up with big, brown, puppy-dog eyes and whimpered, "Please, Ari-chan…?"_

_ Damn…she hit her weak spot. Arisu couldn't say no to puppy eyes and the nickname Hunny had given her. _

_ "Fine," she sighed. "But it's only because you looked so pathetic."_

_ Elena smiled knowingly, barely believing that Arisu fell for the oldest trick in the book…_

I was lead to a couch by Suoh, Tamaki. He was bouncing around with excitement as he introduced me to everyone.

"This is Fujioka, Haruhi!" he gushed as he grabbed the short brunette with the big brown eyes from behind. He yelled in objection before Tamaki continued, "He's an honor student in class 1-A."

Then he moved on to the redheaded twins. "These two troublemakers are Hitachiin, Kaoru and Hikaru. They're in Haruhi's class."

The twins sauntered up with sly grins and each took one of my hands. "Charmed, I'm sure," they said with a demonic sparkle in their eyes.

"Kyoya and I are in class 2-A together!" he exclaimed. The black-haired boy, Ohtori-kun, fiddled with his clipboard and pushed up his glasses.

"This is Morinozuka, Takashi," Tamaki said, gesturing to the tall boy with black hair and grey eyes. "But we all call him Mori-senpai." Then he moved over to the short blonde with a pink bunny toy. "And this is Haninozuka, Mitsukuni. But we all call him Hunny-senpai."

Mori gave me a slight smile and Hunny proceeded to introduce me to his pink rabbit, Usa-chan.

It's a bit overwhelming, being introduced to seven handsome young men all at once. Some customers arrived and the Host Club went to work. I just sort of gaped at them for a bit before Hunny-senpai offered me one of the strawberry pastries that I had just delivered.

"Uh, no thank you, Senpai," I said quietly, "We always have a million of those around my house. I should probably eat those first." The small boy smiled and popped one in his own mouth.

_Ring! Ring!_ My cell phone vibrated loudly. "Um, please excuse me…Hello?"

_"Arisu? Where are you? I sent you with that delivery an hour ago! You aren't off getting pregnant, are you?"_

I sighed, "No, Yukio, I am not off getting pregnant." This comment received many strange looks from the Host Club.

"_Ah…Pity. You and that Suoh boy would make gorgeous little nieces and nephews for me to spoil…"_

"Yukio! How could you even _say_ a thing like that? I just met these people!" I tried to keep my voice down, but soon everyone was staring at me, and I blushed deep red.

"_Simmer down, my sweet little sister,"_ Yukio said as he tried to suppress a laugh. _"Well, at any rate, I need you to come back to the shop. I need your help with the mousse. You're the only one here who is competent enough to be my assistant." _ I sighed. _"If you're not here in ten minutes, I'll be forced to tell Mother-dearest that you are impregnated with that Suoh boy's chibis." _

My eyes grew wide. I hung up the phone and sprinted out of the Music Room #3 with a brief bow to Ohtori-kun and a, "Thank you for ordering from Hirohata Coffee House. We hope to serve you again."

I crossed the threshold of my brother's shop with less than a minute to spare. I put my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath. "Oh, Arisu," Yukio called out in a sing-song voice from the kitchen.

"What?!" I gasp.

Yukio's grinning face comes into view. "Did you have fun with the Host Club?"

"If you call being attacked by seven teenaged boys fun, then it was a blast!" I said sarcastically, finally starting to catch my breath. "Why'd you even send me on that delivery anyway?"

"I figured it was about time that you became acquainted with my best customers," he said with a sly smirk. "Now, get started on that chocolate mousse."

I glared at him for a moment before ambling into the kitchen. I was just sitting the newly-made mousse in the fridge when Yukio called, "Oh, Arisu! You have visitors!"

I was confused. I _never_ got visitors at work; or at home for that matter… I wiped my hands on my dark green apron as I walked out of the kitchen.

One redheaded boy stood before me. "You forgot this back at the club," he said handing me my brother's clipboard.

"Oh, thank you, um…" I could feel myself turning red. For the life of me, I could not name which of the twins stood before me. I figured that it would be rude for me to say the wrong name.

The boy smirked, "I'm Kaoru."

"Oh, yes, right. I'm sorry I…"

"Don't worry about it, Hirohata-san. They call us identical twins for a reason."

"You can call me Arisu. Speaking of twins, where is, um, Hikaru-kun?" In my hour or so in the club, I never saw them leave each other's side. It could have been an act, but it didn't seem like it.

"He's in the car. He said something about a stomachache…" he trailed off, putting a hand behind his neck and glancing toward the door.

"Stomachache? Hold on a second." I dodged behind the counter and surfaced with a small bag. "Here, take these."

"Cookies?" he asked skeptically as he peered into the bag.

"Ginger snaps, actually. They help with stomachaches." Kaoru shrugged and took out a black wallet. "No, no, no; my gift to you and your brother."

He ignored me. "How much do I owe you?"

"I already told you. You don't owe me anything. It's a thank you for bringing back my clipboard."

He ignored me again, looked at the price chart and put down double the amount of yen that was needed. "No. I refuse to accept that money. Those cookies were a _gift_."

He smiled and started to leave. I was getting flustered. Without thinking, I scooped up the money and went after him. Just before he made it to the door, I shoved the money in his back pocket. He turned around in surprise. I blushed deep red. _Did I really just do that?_ I thought to myself.

To my surprise, Kaoru smirked with a mischievous glint in his eye and left the shop without another word.

_Elena looked at Arisu, expecting for her to go on. Arisu replied with a blank stare. "You're seriously doing this to me?"_

"_I seriously am," Arisu replied, picking up a book and finding the right page._

"_But _why_?!" Elena whined. _

_The Japanese girl sighed and stared out the dorm's tiny window and into the world beyond. "I just don't feel like talking about it any more for tonight," she said quietly. _

_Instead of reading her book, Arisu climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head. The last image she saw in her mind before finally drifting off was that redhead boy with that mischievous glint in his golden-green eyes. _

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"**Best friends, ex-friends to the end. Better off as lovers, but not the other way around…" –**_**Bang The Doldrums; Fall Out Boy**_


	3. Adrenaline Sugar Rush

**A/N:** Yay! I updated! Yay! I know it took a while, but in my defense, I was pretending to study for finals last week. ;) So this isn't my best chapter, but I enjoy Tamaki in this one, so it makes it okay. ^^ By the way, if there's a certain cituation or idea you have for this here story, I'd really like to hear it. Random ideas help me update faster. :) I'm hungry... I think I shall go eat now.

**Special thanks to my lovely reviewers: _SisterFriend_** (Why, thanks. And now you get to know what'll happen!), _**kiralol101 **_(I updated! Not 'soon' exactly, but still!), _**Broken Glass Walker**_ (HI! You should review this time too. Except let's not keep your best friend waiting this time, shall we? ;]), _**hnnaus**_ (Haley, you're dumb. And you need to write more than 'lol' next time, okay? ;])

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. If I did, Kyoya would sit and eat like L! ^_^

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"Arisu, this came in the mail for you." Elena threw the envelope on the bed in front of Arisu. The small girl picked it up, looked at it, and threw it in the trash. "Why'd you do that? Aren't you even going to open it?" Elena wailed, rushing over to the trash can and plucking the envelope out._

_ "No, I have no desire to read it."_

_ "Fine," Elena huffed, "If you don't read it I will." _

_ Arisu glanced up from her text book and said, "You do realize that it's illegal to open mail that isn't yours, right?"_

_ "I both realize and accept it," Elena replied as she tore open the envelope and poured out its contents. Out flew several photographs and a piece of parchment. The photographs fluttered under the bed without anyone noticing. Elena unfolded the letter and pouted. "It's in Japanese!"_

_ "Well, it sort of came from Japan," Arisu remarked. _

_ "Read it to me?"_

_ "No."_

_ Elena gave her the puppy dog look. "Pretty-please, Ari-chan?"_

_ Arisu tried so very hard not to give in. "No, I-I don't want to."_

_ "Well, then at least will you tell me more of your story?"_

_ "You honestly want to hear more of that?" Arisu asked exasperatedly. Elena nodded enthusiastically. "Fine…"_

Well, after Kaoru left I backed up to go to the kitchen. Instead I ran into Yukio; lucky me. "My, my, my, Arisu! You've known the boy for only a few hours and you're already halfway to grabbing his baby-makers. My precious sister is a little hussy!"

I blushed. "Stop it, Yukio."

"And here I thought that the Suoh boy would catch your eye…Not that I'm complaining. Your and either of the Hitachiin boys' kids would be positively adorable! They would be spoiled rotten! So when can I expect those precious little nieces and nephews?"

"Yukio! Shut up!" I yelled, popping his fantasy bubble.

He gave me a sly smile, but left me alone. I went back to my mousse-making.

A few days later, Yukio called from the front of the shop, "Arisu! You have a visitor!" I sighed. It was probably a joke. Yukio had been doing this for about a week just to piss me off. I decided to check it out this time. I had to bring some pastries out front anyway.

"Arisu-san!" Tamaki burst through the door. "I come on the orders of Hunny-senpai! He demands more sweets!"

I just stared at him for a moment. "Uh, hi Tamaki-kun. What exactly does Hunny-senpai want?" I probed.

Tamaki stopped sporting his dramatic pose and took on a confused look. "I forgot to ask…" I rolled my eyes slightly.

I pointed to some chocolate pastries. "He seemed to like these when I came by last time. And I just made these little crème d'mint cakes, if you're interested."

Tamaki still looked indecisive. "…Do you want me to just make you up a grab bag?" He nodded enthusiastically and returned to his usual bubbly self.

"We haven't seen you at the club since last week."

"Yeah, Yukio's been keeping me busy over here," I said quietly.

"You should come visit us again!" Tamaki responded loudly.

"I will if Yukio makes me deliver another order."

"Why don't you ever come as a guest, Arisu-san?" I don't respond. "Why don't you come tomorrow?" He grinned at me.

"I have to work," I replied shortly.

"How about after work?" He continued to grin.

"I work until close."

"Why don't you come when you have a day off?" Still grinning.

"The Host Club really isn't my scene…" I replied softly as I loaded some cookies into a bag.

Tamaki's face fell. His skin turned ashen. Before I could process what was going on, he was crouching in a corner with tears streaming down from his puppy-dog eyes.

"Uh…Tamaki-kun?" I asked nervously. "Uh… I guess I _could_ go to the Host Club…Just once…"

He stood up and turned to me slowly. "YOU REALLY WILL?" he yelled bouncing up and down. I nodded. I had never in my life been so afraid of the male sex. I never realized that someone could go from a corner of woe to acting as if they just got an adrenaline and sugar rush all at once.

"Uh…Here," I said, shoving the bags of sweets towards him. "I'll just put it on the club's tab."

"Oh! Right! I have to bring these to Hunny-senpai immediately!"

"You'd best get going, then," I replied with a small chuckle. It never ceased to amaze me how many stupid poses that boy could come up with.

He smiled and thanked me before running out the door screaming, "I'm coming, Hunny-senpai!"

"Wow," Yukio said from behind me, "I was wrong. That boy is _not_ at _all_ the type my little sister would fall for. You may commence your relationship with the Hitachiin boy!"

_Arisu sighed, "We're done for the night."_

_ "No! You have to tell me more!"_

_ "I really don't though. Besides, don't you have some homework to do?" Elena glared, but nodded slightly._

_ "Fine," Elena said confidently, "But you're going to tell me more whether you like it or not!" The Japanese girl shrugged and went back to her homework._

_ Part of Arisu really wanted to read the letter. But when she left for England, she decided to leave that particular part of her life behind, even if it made her unhappy. _

_ One week earlier, Mitsukuni Haninozuka sat down at a table and began to write:_

Ari-chan,

I wish you would talk to us again. Tama-chan and Haru-chan said that they sent you some emails, but you never answered. Did we do something wrong?

The club is busy as usual. Your brother has been delivering for us since you left. I guess you could say that everything is like it was before you started talking to us. Well, almost everything is. Kao-chan seems distracted. He and Hika-chan have been arguing more than usual. Maybe you should call or write him. I think he misses you. We all do.

Love,

Hunny

P.S. Usa-chan misses you especially! ^^

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"**Will you come home and stop this pain tonight? Stop this pain tonight. Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head. I miss you, miss you." **_**–I Miss You; Blink-182**_


	4. CAKE SUGAR SWEETS!

**A/N:** So sorry! So sorry! My computer was being a ritard and I had to say goodbye to my foreign exchange students. :( And it was just a sad day. But that's really no excuse. So here's chapter four. It took forever and I'm sorry. But now I have ideas for what will happen next, so hopefully I'll update faster. Hopefully. ^^' Anyway, here it is. Hope you enjoy it. If you have any random ideas, then tell me and I'll try to add them in. Ooo... Just got an awesome idea! You should review a phrase. Any phrase. And the one(s) that make me laugh most, I'll incorporate them into the next chapter. ^^ Okay, maybe it's not my best idea, but it's still fun, right? ^^'

**Special thanks to my lovely reviewers: **_**kiralol101 **_(I updated! Not as soon as you may have hoped, but still.), **_woodspritethatconqueredpeople_** (first of all, awesome name. Second of all, I'm glad that you enjoy it.), **_Lex_** (HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And hi. *SPOILER ALERT* When are you gonna write my lemon? I may need it in a few chapters. ;]), **_PurpleSkye _**(I'm glad you like the POV. It's a bit difficult sometimes, but everyone seems to like it. ^^), **_I play wid fir3 _**(Hi! I'm glad you like it so far.), **_hnnaus _**(Silly Haley... I've been planning to kill you for years now. ;]), **_Crazymusician22 _**(I'm sorry! *dodges sharp objects that may be thrown in my general direction* Please don't kill me...), **_Ranabanana Thingamabob _**(Hi! I'm glad that I'm not the only one to read fanfiction into the wee hours of the night.)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. If I did, the manga would be updated even slower because I'm lazy (as you can all tell.) ;)

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Arisu walked down the dorm hallways. She was always apprehensive walking down the hallways. She always expected Tamaki to jump out of the shadows at her and attack her with one of his stupid poses. She nervously chuckled at the thought as she picked up her pace. She hurried into her room and closed the door quickly, sighing in relief. She turned around slowly._

_ "ARISU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Elena jumped up from her chair and attacked her roommate. _

_ Arisu let out a squeal of surprise. "Uh... I was, uh… Don't do that!" Elena put on an innocent face. "God, you act more and more like Tamaki every day," she mumbled._

_ "Speaking of which," Elena started with a glint in her eye, "I think you need to tell me more of your story." _

_ "Do you promise to NEVER jump out at me like that EVER AGAIN?" Elena smiled widely and nodded. "Fine…" _

Well, Yukio, being the asshole that he is, let me have the next five days off and forced me to go to the Host Club. He called it a "Customer Relations Exercise." I called it a waste of time, but he agreed to give me overtime pay for it.

I walked down the hall to the abandoned music room. I sighed before opening the door. "Welcome, Princess." Rose petals swirled around me.

"Uh, hi," I managed to say.

"Whoa…" the twins circled me curiously. "You look different," they said in unison. I blushed. It was all Yukio's fault. I was just going to wear my work uniform, but no, he decided to dress me up like some sort of pop idol. I wore a very short, pink skirt that swished when I walked. I also wore a low-cut white shirt with a faded red kimono-style vest over it. Yukio also decided to curl my long hair and put makeup on me. I could have killed him.

"This was Yukio's doing…" I mumbled.

"It's an interesting ensemble," one said. "But the skirt has to go," replied the other. "And the shoes," the first added. "Hasn't he ever heard of accessorizing?" the second complained. I just stared at them as they continued to circle me.

"Kao-chan, Hika-chan, be nice. I think Ari-chan looks cute!" Hunny said with a grin and a giggle. "Right, Takashi?"

"Yeah," the tall one called Mori responded.

"Arisu-san!" Tamaki tackled me. "You came! I knew you would! You said that you didn't want to, but you came anyway!"

"Tamaki," Kyoya interrupted, "she's here on business. Her brother sent her here to research what the customers like and what they could possibly add to their menu for us. So please don't tackle her."

Tamaki immediately released me, but not without pouting. I muttered my thanks. "Yukio-san has set it up so she may visit with each host or hosting group once over the next five days," Kyoya explained. "So, Arisu-san, take your pick." I stepped back when each of them took on a different pose. Well, all except one did.

"Uh… How about, uh, could I sit with him possibly?" I asked, pointing to the pretty boy with the short brown hair and big eyes. He seemed to be the most normal out of everyone.

"Ah… Haruhi. Interesting choice," Kyoya made a note on his clipboard. "Haruhi, please show Arisu-san a seat."

The boy lead me over to a couch and sat across from me. "Hello, I'm Haruhi Fujioka. It's a pleasure to meet you." He smiled slightly.

"Hello, Haruhi. I'm Arisu Hirohata." I smiled nervously. "So, um, what kind of sweets do you like?"

"Oh, I don't really like sweets…" When he saw my look of disappointment he began again, "I mean, I don't eat sweets very often. I'm more of a savory taste than sweet. I'll eat sweets, but they're not my favorite." I nodded and wrote some notes down in the little notebook that Yukio required me to bring.

Soon, girls flocked to the boy and I was soon forgotten, which was fine with me. I did manage to ask them what kinds of sweets they each enjoyed. I got some generic responses, but from those came some good ideas. Toward the end of the day, the stream of customers slowed down and I got to talk to Haruhi a little bit. There was something odd about that boy. There was almost something _feminine_ about him…

The next day, I came back to the club. I was once again attacked by rose petals and seven teenaged boys. That time, I chose to sit with Hunny and Mori. Once again, Kyoya scribbled on his clipboard.

"Yay! Ari-chan! Let's sit over here and eat cake!" Hunny grabbed my wrist and dragged me over to a couch. He sat me in-between he and Mori. I can only imagine what my face looked like. It was probably a look of beet red shock. I knew that Hunny was energetic, but I wasn't expecting him to be quite _that_ vigorous. At least he wasn't creepy like Tamaki…

"So, Hunny-senpai, Mori-senpai, what kind of sweets do you like?" I asked quietly with pen and paper at the ready.

Hunny seemed to think this over carefully. "Cake! Sugar! Sweets!" He yelled out after a few seconds.

"Uh…So, anything? What about you, Mori-senpai?"

"Takashi likes cake too, just not as much as I do. He doesn't really like strawberries. He likes the flavor, just not the fruit." Hunny giggled and swung his legs. Mori nodded slightly. I took down some notes. Soon, customers flooded in and once again, I was forgotten. Well, I was until Hunny forced me to join the conversation. It was awkward, but on the plus side, I got more data to report to Yukio. As it turns out, Hunny fans tend to really like cake as well.

Later that night, I collapsed on my bed and looked at my calendar. "Three more days," I sighed. "Only three more days left. Then I'll never have to go back there again." I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

_"That's not very nice of you!" Elena yelled angrily. "They seem like perfectly nice, sexy boys and you're being mean to them!"_

_ Arisu was taken aback. "So? They freaked me out." _

_ "So? You're lucky that they were that nice to you! You should be thankful that they even let you be near them! You are so ungrateful Arisu!" _

_ Arisu just stared at her roommate and shook her head sadly. She left so she wouldn't have to deal with them, so she wouldn't have to think about them. But having a roommate that acted exactly like them sort of defeated the purpose of leaving in the first place. _

* * *

"_**Time passes by direction unknown. You've left us now, but we're not alone. Before you know it, you're cup's over flown. You've measured no one that I've ever known. And it's quite alright. And goodbye for now. Just look up to the stars and believe who you are 'cause it's quite alright. And so long, goodbye."**_** –So Long, Goodbye—****Sum 41**


	5. The Indiana Traveling Puppet Theatre

**A/N:** Hiya everyone! It didn't take me toooo long to update... :D I have to make this short because my mom's yelling at me to clean rabbit pens... Dx It's NOT a good day... Anyway... Here's the chapter, I hope you enjoy it and such. Yeah. Oh! And you guys should seriously give me random words/quotes to put into my chapters! It amuses me and it gives me inspiration. So please do it! :D

**Special thanks to my favorite people, the reviewers:** Milky Mentos (Hi! I know it's a bit ridiculous, but I updated decently fast this time. ^^'), Lex (You're also Ivy on crack. You're just "that girl" in a fanfiction. I just decided.), woodspritethatconqueredpeople (Why thanks! And I'll get around to explaining why she doesn't want to keep in contact. It's a bit complex. :D), Blue-Eyed-Demon (I updated! Yay!), kiralol101 (It's okay! You're one of my most faithful reviewers and I love you for that! And I updated just for you!...and for everyone else too... xD)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I just don't. I'm sorry if you guys thought I did. I don't. Kthnxbai! xD

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Kaoru sighed and stared out the window. It was a beautiful day outside, but he wasn't rejoicing like all the other club members. Kaoru wasn't excited about much of anything anymore. Sure, he'd act the part, but he'd usually just spend his days trying to forget. And when you try to forget something, it's usually just brought to mind more often and more intensely than before. Kaoru knew this. It was just that he really didn't want to forget. But he needed to in order for things to go back to normal. Even Mori had asked him if he was okay and Mori seemed to make a point not to talk to anyone. Kaoru sighed again. He wondered vaguely if she was trying to forget him too. And he wondered if they were forgetting for the same reasons._

_ "Arisu!" Elena moaned, throwing her book down. "Why is Japanese so hard? Why do you refuse to do my homework for me?"_

_ "Because you wouldn't learn anything, and you never know, Japanese may come in handy one day." Elena snorted. "Maybe if you quit whining, you'll get a reward." Elena straightened up._

_ "A reward?" Arisu nodded vaguely. The Englishwoman picked up her book and leafed through it furiously. She took notes and within twenty minutes had finished her work. "Okay! Done!" she said with a grin, "Now tell me more of your story!" _

_ "Huh? That's not your reward." Arisu held out two tickets to her roommate. "This is your reward."_

_ Elena carefully took the tickets in her hands. "The Indiana Traveling Puppet Theatre? What the hell is this?" she yelled._

_ "Avery gave them to me. He wants you and I to go with he and Terrence this Friday. We already accepted, by the way." _

_ "Are you serious? I don't want to go to a puppet theatre! I want to hear more about sexy Japanese boys!" Arisu couldn't help but laugh at this. _

_ "Okay, okay," she giggled, "I'll tell you more, but you are definitely going to that puppet theatre with us." _

It was the third day of my "Public Relations Exercise."And Yukio, being the complete asshole that he is decided to dress me up again on that particular day. After being bombarded once again by rose petals, the twins had a spaz attack on me. "What are you wearing?" "Honestly? What happened?"

"Y-Yukio," I managed to stutter out.

Both twins shook their heads in unison. "Kyoya-senpai, we're stealing her today. This is a fashion emergency!" Kyoya only nodded and scribbled something on his clipboard. "My god, you look like a drag queen!" one yelled, taking my arm. "No offence to your dad, Haruhi," the other said latching on to my other arm. They rushed me into a dressing room at the back of the club room. "We can't let you be seen like this." "My sentiments exactly, Hikaru," Kaoru answered him. I watched as the two boys dressed in modern-looking kimono rushed around the dressing rooms looking for things for me to wear.

I looked down at my clothing. Yukio had dressed me in a short leather skirt, fishnets, a bright pink tube top with pink lipstick to match. I tried telling him that I would be killed if I walked outside, but he insisted that it was fine. On my walk to the club I got a few "offers" and also a few creepy old men who asked how much I was per hour. Let's just say that I ran as fast as I possibly could.

"Here," they said in unison, thrusting clothes into my hands. "These were all we could find. Now change." They pushed me into a dressing room. I changed quickly and walked out. "That's better," they said as they gave me a look-over. They briefly told me whose clothes I was wearing.

"You're wearing Haruhi's pants, but my shirt," Kaoru said.

"Yeah, you would be wearing Haruhi's shirt, too, but you have a bigger bust than she does." Kaoru looked at his brother wide-eyed. "I mean, uh, he. You have a bigger bust than _he_ does," he said nervously. When I shot him a questioning look he broke down. "Ah, shit."

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up, wait a minute! Haruhi's a girl?" _

_Arisu sighed, "Picked up on that, did you?"_

"_I can't believe this! That's one less sexy Japanese boy that I'll be getting!" _

"_May I continue?" Arisu asked in an annoyed tone._

"Huh, that's odd," I said with two fingers to my lips. "Why does she dress like a guy?"

"It's a long story," one began.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" I nodded in understanding. "Okay, so now we have to do something about that makeup."

"Hikaru, Kaoru, get out here. The guests are waiting," Kyoya called from the club room.

"But Kyoya-senpai! Have you _seen_ this girl? She's a fashion _tragedy! _This shouldn't be _legal_!" They said in unison.

Kyoya smirked slightly at my face. "I suppose you're right," he said dryly. "Well, I need at least one of you to come up front and entertain." When neither moved, he added, "For every minute you leave those guests waiting, Haruhi's quota will be increased by fifty." That got a reaction. One of the twins sprinted out into the room to entertain. Kyoya smirked and left.

"So, um, sorry, but, I can't tell you and your brother apart quite yet… Would you mind telling me your name?"

"I'm Kaoru. Close your eyes." He took makeup remover over Yukio's handiwork. I briefly asked him what kinds of sweets he and Hikaru liked and took notes. "Okay, now that your face isn't caked in makeup, we can actually do something.

"So why exactly did you let your brother do this to you?" he asked as he applied eyeliner on me.

"I didn't really _let_ him so much as he did this by brute force."

"You could always just _not_ go to the shop before coming here."

"Well, I have to clock in before I come. And also, as much as I hate it when Yukio does this, I like to see him get excited over it. He used to do this kind of thing to me when I was a baby, too. Except he would actually make me look cute; not like a whore."

"You must really love your brother to let him dress you up like this," Kaoru smirked.

"You must really love your brother too." He raised an eyebrow at me as he put blush on my cheeks. "It's true, isn't it? There's only so much that you can fake. You love your brother, maybe not in the romantic way that you two act out, but you two are still very close." I looked up to see him giving me a strange look. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"Huh? No," he replied with a slight smirk, "I'm done." He held up a mirror. I looked at my face. I actually looked _good_…

"Wow, Kaoru-kun! You're amazing at this! How did you do it?"

"It's not that hard. I'll show you sometime. But I think that it's time to join Hikaru in the club room." He walked towards the door and turned towards me. "Coming?"

I stood and nodded. We walked into the club room and I was attacked by Hunny. "Ari-chan! You look so cute! Kao-chan and Hika-chan did a great job!" he grinned and giggled.

I went back to the shop later that night in the skirt Yukio gave me, but in Kaoru's shirt. "So whose shirt is that?" Yuko greeted me with a smirk. I looked down at my clothes.

"Shit, I forgot to give it back." Yukio grinned. "It's Kaoru-kun's. He let me borrow it so I wouldn't look like a whore."

"How very thoughtful of him…" I wanted nothing more than to slap that smug look of my dear older brother's face, but I refrained.

"_Okay, that's enough for today," Arisu sighed. Elena pouted like a small child. "What? I don't feel like talking about this anymore. I'll tell you some other time."_

"_Fine. But you're going to tell me everything whether you want to or not," Elena stuck her tongue out._

_Arisu rolled her eyes and looked out the window. It was a rainy London day outside. She wondered what it was like back home. She wondered if the club was having an outing today. She wondered if he was thinking of her… She shook her head and sighed. She decided that it shouldn't matter. She left. There was no reason for them to remember her. There was no reason for her to remember them. _

_Then why did she keep thinking about him? _

_Kaoru sighed. Why did he keep thinking about her?_

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"_**Something's getting in the way. Something's just about to break. I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane. As I burn another page, as I look the other way, I still try to find my place into my in the diary of Jane." –**_**Diary of Jane—****Breaking Benjamin **


	6. Only If It Suits My Princess

**A/N:** I'm so sorry! Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm a terrible author, making you wait like this all the time... I don't understand why you all keep reviewing. Not that I want you to stop! I love your reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy in the place my heart used to be. :P But seriously, I'm really sorry and I'm a douche for doing this to you guys all the time. Oh, and last time my best friend, Lex, told me to plug our serial "Bittersweet" here. It's kinda long, and we haven't updated in a while...But we were sorta depressed by the lack of reviews after a like 4,000-word chapter. It made us very sad indeed. Anywho...You should look into it if you like Fullmetal Alchemist and OC's who can't perform alchemy. That's right ladies and gents! They DO EXIST. Yes, but we are FrigidFire if you're interested. Otherwise, ignore everything. :)

Okay, point of interest: Quite frankly, I'm getting tired of all this mundane activity going on within the club. I have zero inspiration when it comes down to it. So...I was wondering if I could skip ahead a bit to the main plot point...? Would anyone mind if Arisu skips a month or two in her story? Because I'm burnt out as far as club functions go, if you hadn't noticed. But I figured that asking the readers' permission was a good idea. So, tell me what you think. Your opinion is always appreciated. :) Except for yours, Lex. Because I don't like you. Because you got the hot basketball players in that dream and I got the cold floor. I hate you. :P

**Special thanks to my lovely reviewers who put up with my shit: Lex** (There. Consider it plugged. Also, I'm still sad about Mr. Brightside. I blame you for going alone with my crazy, angsty ideas.), **woodspritethatconqueredpeople** (The puppet theatre spawns from a magical night of the Eclipse premier at 3am and me telling my friends that we must build a "F-ing Puppet Theatre" with nothing more than a sheet, a wagon, and socks. And I'm from Indiana, so that explains that bit. :)), **Kiralol101** (Well, she sits with Tamaki...And I personally like her reaction. I hope you do too!), **Cookie Krisp** (Y'know...I've never actually had Cookie Crisp...Is it any good? Anyway, I'm really glad you like it. And you'll just have to keep reading to find out if they end up together. :P), **Blue-Eyed-Demon** (I'll try to update sooner! Also, if you're the blue eyed demon, why is the eye in your picture purple? This has always perplexed me...), **Ranabanana Thingamabob **(I tried to find a way to fit in one of your quotes, but it proved impossible this chapter. Perhaps Arisu will have to get drunk and say such things... :D), **Midnight Hikari **(Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like Arisu. My last (/first) Ouran OC was a Sue and I didn't even know what that meant. So it means a lot when I'm told my charaters aren't Sues. :)), **aurdox** (Congradulations! Your phrase has been selected! Mostly because I like the word blustery. ^^ Hopefully you'll stick around to see why she's running.), **iflip4dolphins** (Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you like it. I was really worried about keeping everyone in character in this fic. I want this one to be great. I'm glad that you'll be sticking around. ^^), and **Mangagirl97 **(I'm glad you like this story, and honored that you reviewed. I promise that I'll finish it, no matter how slow I may update. Though, I'm really only planning on going up to chapter 10 for this one. I hope you'll stick through to the end.)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. Except I just bought the 15th volume, so I do own it. P.S. It's awesome.

O.O I really need to start shortening my author's notes...

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Elena and Arisu entered their dorm room; cheeks rosy red and both girls out of breath. "It's quite the blustery day out there, eh?" Elena commented as she hung up her jacket.

"_Um, I suppose so… So what did you think of the puppet theatre?" The girl added, "Oh, and Terrence wanted me to ask you what you thought of him…But you aren't supposed to know that he asked. So, um, don't tell him I said that…" Arisu shook her head to clear her thoughts and sat on her bed._

"_Meh…Avery asked me the same, except for about you…" Elena's face was that of pure evil. "So what do you think of strapping young Avery, Arisu? Do you find him as alluring as a Japanese boy?"_

"…_I don't know what you're talking about, Elena Ackerman…"_

"_Oh, you _do _know what I'm talking about. Do you find Avery as sexually stimulating as your Japanese boyfriend? Will you fornicate? _Have _you ever fornicated? Oh! Tell me! Tell me! I want to know!" _

_Arisu blushed deep red at all of those questions coming at her at once. "Elena! Stop it! I don't have a boyfriend and I'm not interested in Avery, so there will be absolutely _**no**_ fornication!"_

_The English girl smirked devilishly, "You didn't answer my last question, Arisu…"_

"_And that subject is none of your business, Elena."_

_Elena shifted her eyes knowingly. She knew what that meant. "So, um, how's everyone back home?"_

_Arisu figured that this was an innocent enough question. "Yukio said that the shop's harder to manage without someone competent enough to make chocolate mousse," she smiled lightly before continuing, "My oldest brother, Kichiro, and his wife are expecting their baby sometime next month. Kichi's the happiest I've seen him in a long time. And Akio says that everything at Ouran is fine." She added that last bit quickly, even though she knew that Elena would still pick up on it. The English girl shot the Asian a hopeful glance. "…Fine…"_

The next day before school started, I found Kaoru and Hikaru strolling down the halls alone. I returned Kaoru's shirt at that time so as to avoid further embarrassment. No such luck. "Arisu!" Akio's voice rang out, drawing some glances to myself and the twins. "Arisu, what are you doing with hosts so early in the morning?" My brother winked and ruffled my hair.

"Argh! Akio! Don't do that!" I complained as I swatted at his hand. The twins smirked widely at me.

Akio placed a protective arm over my shoulders. "Aren't you going to introduce me, Sis?"

"Why? You already know them. They're Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin," I responded, agitation in my voice. Akio is the loud one out of my brothers. You can definitely tell that he and Yukio are brothers. The only real difference is that Akio loves sports and Yukio loves sweets. They don't get along as well as one might expect. But that's really beside the point right now…

Within the next minute, I had freed myself from Yukio's grasp and had taken off down the hallway. Thankfully, the bell rang before Akio could chase me down, and I found myself in class 2-B. There, I would be safe…Until I had to go to the Host Club.

The school day was uneventful, to say the least. I was thankful to hear that Yukio was going to let me wear my own clothes to the club that day. There was no way I would be looked on as a prostitute that day, no sir! I made my way to the club and was greeted by a, "Thank god. Arisu-san doesn't look like a drag queen today!"

"No offense to your dad, Haruhi!" At this, Haruhi sighed and rolled her eyes at the twins.

I walked slowly over to Kyoya, waiting to receive my host assignment for the day. "Arisu-san, you'll be sitting with Tamaki today. Tomorrow, you and I will sit down and review the data you collected this past week. I expect it to be well-organized and informational. And color-coded," he added, pushing his glasses up.

I stared at the bespectacled boy before me timidly. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"Um…Is there any way I could skip sitting with Tamaki-kun?" I asked quietly, looking down. "Quite frankly, he frightens me."

Kyoya gave me a dark smirk and replied, "I'm afraid that I can't let you do that, Arisu-san. Now if you would please leave me so I may concentrate on my work."

I felt my face fall before I was attacked by a certain blonde. "Arisu-san! Aren't you excited? You get to sit with me today! We're going to have so much fun!" It took all my strength not to start weeping on the spot. I just nodded sadly as he dragged me to a couch and sat down next to me.

"So, um, what kind of sweets do you like to eat?"

"Whatever is as sweet as you."

"…Um, do you prefer pastries, puddings, or candies?"

"Whichever you prefer, my dear."

"What's your favorite song?"

"The one that reminds me of you, of course."

"Do you even like sweets?"

"Only if you feed them to me."

"Do you know how to give a straight answer?"

"Only if it suits my princess."

I turned to the twins in desperation. "Is he always like this?"

They looked at me with the most serious expressions I'd ever seen them use. "Yes," they replied, "yes he is." I ran a frustrated hand through my hair.

After several more minutes of ridiculous banter with Tamaki I finally snapped.

"This isn't hard! Just tell me what kind of sweets you like. And what kind of sweets you like has nothing to do with me. Give me a straight answer, for the love of God! I'm _begging _you!" All the hosts turned to look at me yelling at their King. I was so glad no one else had come into the club yet; otherwise I would have turned even redder.

I heard two familiar laughs ringing out as the twins came up behind me and placed their arms across my shoulders. "Look what you did, Arisu-san."

"You made Milord go into his Corner of Woe again."

I sighed. "Sorry, he was infuriating!"

"Haruhi! Arisu-san yelled at Daddy!" Tamaki pouted from his position on the ground.

"You sort of deserved it, senpai," was her only reply as she sat a tray of teacups down on a table. That seemed to make Tamaki delve even deeper into his sorrow.

Fortunately (yet unfortunately for me) Tamaki reverted back to his normal self once the guests arrived. Unlike their favorite host, they gave very straight, detailed answers to my questions. I was very thankful for that.

There were only a few guests remaining when one particularly friendly girl asked me, "What kinds of sweets do _you_ like, Arisu-san?"

"Well, um," I stuttered. I had never been asked that before. Everyone just assumed that I liked them all; which I did. "I…I don't really know…"

Suddenly, a certain blonde boy ran up to me with a shocked face. "What do you mean Ari-chan? Do you not like sweets anymore?" Hunny's face was the epitome of apprehension.

"Hunny-senpai, that's not exactly what I meant-"

"What about pie? And cookies? And tarts? And pudding? And candies? And CAKE! What about cake, Ari-chan? Are you saying that you don't like cake anymore? Who will eat cake with me?" he asked, aghast.

"It's okay, Hunny-senpai! I still like cake! I'll eat it with you whenever you like!" I replied quickly with gusto.

His eyes grew wide. "Really?" I nodded in affirmation. My senpai spun around in joy and handed me a beautiful piece of Yukio's latest cake. "Let's eat cake together, Ari-chan!" he grinned as he practically downed the whole piece in one bite. Tamaki and Hunny fangirls alike squeed in unison at our exchange. "Why are you so red, Ari-chan?" he asked innocently, helping himself to another slice of Yukio's masterpiece.

It wasn't until he said that that I noticed I was blushing at the attention. "Yes, Arisu-san, why _are_ you so red?" "Why, is Arisu-san embarrassed?" As was their custom, the twins slithered their way next to me, pushing Tamaki almost out of the picture completely (much to his dismay.)

I tried to leave in order to avoid further embarrassment with no avail. Those damn Hitachiin twins managed to block my exit. I was forced back into my seat, turning even redder than before. The other girls seemed to find my embarrassment quite enjoyable. They giggled as a good portion of the host club smirked at my discomfort. As for Tamaki, he was in his Corner of Woe. I guess that happens when he's not the center of attention for a full two minutes.

It wasn't until after all the guests left that I was allowed to leave, and even then, I was held up by those damn twins again. I think they enjoyed making me turn red, and I found that they did this for as long as they possibly could. "What do you think of our new toy, Kaoru?" "I like it a lot, Hikaru. Unfortunately, tomorrow's our last day to play with it." "That's too bad. Oh well, we can just find another one, Kaoru."

The two walked away. But one of them looked back at me. And for that brief moment, I saw what looked like sadness in his eyes. But of course, I had to have been mistaken.

The next day was my last required day at the Ouran High School Host Club. It was that day that I would have to sit down with Kyoya and go over all my newly acquired information. I had spent the whole night before designing new deserts based on the information and testing them out. I managed to make a few samples of each, though they were far from the delicate sketches I had drawn up. But I find that at three in the morning, you stop caring about such things. Unfortunately for me, Kyoya cared.

"I find your lack of presentation skills disturbing," he complained as he looked at the treats I had brought.

"I'm sorry, Othori-san. It was getting a bit late at night. I assure you that they taste better than they look…"

Kyoya frowned slightly. "I would hope so. Also, please quit with the Othori-san. It's bad for the club's friendly image. You may call me Kyoya-kun, if anything at all." I nodded as Hunny bounded over to greet me.

"Ari-chan! Did you make these? They look awfully yummy!" the boy smiled sweetly.

"You can have some, Hunny-senpai. I made sure to make at least one of each desert for everyone." I smiled at the boy's overwhelming joy.

"We'll have some later, Hunny-senpai. I need to talk some things over with Arisu-san," Kyoya interrupted. The boy frowned, but retreated. "Now, what you lack in presentation of the food, you certainly made up for in the report…" It went on like that for a good hour and a half. He talked a lot about business and numbers and stuff, and I tried to stay alert (/awake.)

Finally, the last customers left the third music room. The hosts gathered around and I served them in courses according to what information I got from the hosts and their respective customers. Overall, my efforts were a success. Kyoya ordered several of my new deserts to be served the next week. The customers, he said, would be the final test.

_Arisu yawned. "I'm sleepy," she said simply as she burrowed under the covers. _

"_Typical Arisu…Always stops for no good reason…" Elena scoffed, herself turning in for the night. "Arisu, I like your story and all, but it doesn't answer my question. Why did you leave Japan? You always seem so sad when you talk about it, but for no good reason. Why?"_

_Arisu flipped over to face the Englishwoman. "When someone's trying to run away from something, they don't want to admit it. That's why I never will be able to tell you everything." Elena frowned and mumbled to herself. Arisu felt bad for stringing Elena on like that, but to be perfectly fair, it wasn't her idea to spill her secrets. And besides, Arisu couldn't even admit to herself why she ran away. Maybe she could tell Elena everything at some point in her life…But now, now was not the time or place for such tales._

"_**I'm two quarters and a heart down and I don't want to forget how your voice sounds… And these are the lives you'd love to lead. Dance, this is the way they would love if they knew how misery loved me." **_**–Dance, Dance-****Fall Out Boy**


	7. Dumb Broad

**A/N: **Hey! Guess what? I'm not dead after all! So I literally pounded out this chapter in less than a day. That's right, be proud. It's kinda long... Oh well. I kinda like it, but that's because I was excited to actually use a plot point. That doesn't happen very often, you know. I don't think I'll talk too much this time because I'm tired and have practice in the morning. Basically all you need to know in this one is that Kaoru may be a bit out of character sometimes. It's hard to decide how he'd react to certain things without having Hikaru there. Oh well, I hope it's not too awful. Let me know what you think! Any questions, comments, concerns, I'd be happy to address them. Yeah. I'm sleepy. Good night.

**To my lovely reviewers who make me feel so good about myself for no good reason: Lex** (Are you happy now? Does that bother you? I'm not touching you? God, I'm tired. How's East-y things? Yes. Well. You just lost.), **iflip4dolphins** (Hey! It's ready now! :D I always look forward to your reviews. They make me smile every time. I'm really glad you like the way I write certain characters. I'm always worried about such things. And I know the feeling of "probably shouldn't be reading so much fanfiction." I shouldn't be writing it when I have a report due next week. ^^"), **Blue-Eyed-Demon** (Suddenly, things make a whole lot more sense. :P Enjoy this chapter!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host club. *insert something witty to say here*

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She stared out the window, dismay written all over her face. She missed Japan. She missed her parents, her brothers, her house, her school, Yukio's café, and yes—she even missed the Host Club. Most of all, she missed

him_. It took her almost three months to admit it, but she finally did. _She missed Kaoru Hitachiin; she wanted to see him again._ Arisu promised herself that she wouldn't contact the Host Club after she left for England. She told herself that she had to close a door on that part of her past if she wanted to be happy. _

_Who was she kidding? She wasn't happy here. She spent most of her time either reminiscing or trying to forget everything that happened. Either way, she couldn't close that door. Kaoru Hitachiin and the rest of the Host Club had their feet in the door, preventing her from doing so. _

"_What am I supposed to do, just accept it?" she practically yelled, a silent tear sliding down her cheek._

_Elena looked up from her laptop, startled. "Arisu, honey, are you okay?" She stood and sat next to the weeping Japanese girl. _

"_Yeah, I'm peachy," she said sarcastically, wiping more tears away. She hated falling apart like that in front of people. It wasn't dignified. Though, most of the things she had done in the past weren't dignified. _

"_Hey, now, don't you start acting like me at a time like this. I know! Let's go out! You need to get wasted." _

"_What? Is that your solution for everything, Elena?" Arisu smiled slightly._

"_Well, yeah. I'm not very well going to let you sulk here on your own."_

"_Instead, you're going to get me drunk? You're a true friend."_

"_Yes!" she struck a triumphant pose, "Yes, I am! Now let's go!" She barely had time to put on a coat before Elena pulled her out the door._

_After that first shot of vodka burned its way down her throat, Arisu was reminded of that night. That night—the reason she ran away to England. The more she drank, the more she remembered. The more she remembered, the more she drank in an attempt to forget it all. But it just doesn't work that way._

Yukio was so proud of his little sister for bringing so much more business to his café. "Arisu, you're too good at this," he exclaimed after she told him about their new orders. "You should be my business partner after you graduate. I know of this great school in England. I'll give mom and dad the information. I'm sure they'd let you go. You'd be qualified to work with me without having to go to college. You'd be so much better than the girl I have doing that job now. She's such a prude. She won't let me dress her up or touch her ginormous boobs or anything."

"Yukio, when did you become such a pervert?" she asked, rolling her eyes at his slightly crude comment.

"Arisu, when did you become a hussy and start hanging out with just boys?"

"When, Yukio, you forced me to hang out with the Host Club for a whole week just for your own business' gain." Yukio merely shrugged and gave his little sister an innocent smile. "And I'll think about going to that school."

"All is fair in love, war, and business transactions, little sister."

"…I don't see any correlation between any of those," she replied, one eyebrow raised in skepticism.

"You will. One day…"

_Arisu remembered their conversation so clearly, even though she was half-drunk, half a world away, and several months into the future. She downed another shot, hoping to kill any more memories that may swim their way to the surface of her memory. That wasn't the case._

It was a few months after her last day at the Host Club. She was making a delivery to the 3rd Music Room, as was custom since Akio had to bring up his grades while practicing even harder for kendo semi-finals. She had just dropped off the Host Club's various sweet orders and was making her way down the grand staircase when she heard feet pounding down the hallway. Arisu turned to find one of the Hitachiin twins staring straight at her while he tried to catch his breath with a small envelope in his hand. "Um, Kaoru?" she asked tentatively, "I didn't forget my clipboard this time…"

"I know you didn't forget that. I forgot to give you this." He offered the envelope and continued, "Hikaru and I are hosting a party. It's nothing big, really."

"Oh, well, I'll tell Yukio. Are your orders in this?" she asked, holding up the decorated envelope.

"No, no, you misunderstand! I'm not asking you to cater it. You're _invited_," he rolled his eyes at her ridiculous notion. She gave him a questioning look. "A lot of people from school will be there. The dress code is classy-casual. Hikaru and I will look forward to seeing you there." He grinned and flashed a peace sign before walking back to his customers in the third music room.

She stood on the stairs with a blank expression. It wasn't every day that Arisu Hirohata was invited to a party, let alone by someone as rich and handsome as Kaoru Hitachiin.

_She downed another. She didn't want to remember anymore. She didn't want to remember his smooth, cool hand brushing hers. She didn't want to remember the delicate handwriting on the back of the invitation that said, "Don't come dressed like a drag queen, okay? Can't wait to see you. –Kaoru." She didn't want to remember anything anymore. She just wanted to get lost in the loud, pounding music and the pulsating crowds of the nightclub._

She was ushered into the mansion by a very kindly butler. She had come a bit late. Yukio had been too busy fussing over her to get her there on time. She stood in the doorway to a large room that looked like a ballroom, taking it all in. There was food and teenagers everywhere, a few students dancing to the music that seemed to float from large speakers.

"Ari-chan!" Hunny greeted the younger girl with enthusiasm, "We were afraid you weren't coming! And you look so cute, too!"

She blushed slightly and thanked him. "You look nice, too, Hunny-senpai." The two smiled at each other and Hunny went off in search of more cake.

"I'm glad you could make it." Arisu turned towards the voice, only to see Kaoru in a very tasteful white suit. He smiled and handed her a glass filled with punch. "And you don't even look like a drag queen!" he smirked when she blushed at his comment.

"Sorry I'm late, Yukio was fussing over me," she explained, taking a sip of punch. The taste was an odd one. It tasted like punch, obviously, but with some unidentified flavor thrown in. It burned its way down her throat. But despite the initial discomfort, she found that she didn't dislike that taste or the way that it seared its way down.

"It's fine," he replied as he, too, took a drink. "Does this punch taste odd to you?"

"It does at first, but after you get used to it, it's actually pretty good."

He took another drink and smiled, "I suppose you're right. Care to dance?"

_"I should take you out more often, Arisu! You are a dancing fiend!" Elena yelled over the music as the two girls each downed another shot._

_"Thanks, but I'll pass," Arisu slurred, "I don't want to get drunk again after this."_

_"Why? You look like you're having so much fun!" _

_Was she having fun? She didn't know anymore. She was too drunk to know. She thought that getting smashed would help things, but they only made the memories more vivid. She drank two more shots before staggering off to the bathroom; another attempt to rid herself of her terrible flashbacks._

Everyone was enjoying themselves at the Hitachiin twins' party. They seemed to have more fun as glass after glass of punch was consumed. Kaoru and Arisu danced around, laughing, joking, and making small talk. Then they'd sit down, drink more punch, and make more lively conversation. It was pretty clear to those who were sober that a majority of the guests were drunk, or at the very least buzzed. But Arisu and Kaoru didn't notice a thing.

"I'm really glad you came, Arisu. I'm having so much fun." He smiled in that lackadaisical way that drunken people do. Neither of them really noticed when they stopped using honorifics. There was just a point where such things disappear.

"I'm glad I came, too." To this day, Arisu doesn't really know what happened next. It was one of those things that you can only remember the beginning and the ending, but not the middle of an event. All she knows is that she stood, somehow lost her footing, and fell. Kaoru happened to be right there to catch her before she fell to the ground; but his impeccable white suit, as well as her dress, caught the punch that was in her hand. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She quickly took a napkin and started dabbing at the stain on his jacket.

He took the napkin out of her hand and placed it on the table. "Don't worry about that. We need to get these clothes treated before they stain. Come on, I'll lend you something to wear." He held out his hand and she took it in her own. He led her briskly through the crowd and the hallway to a secluded room upstairs.

"This room is _huge_," she exclaimed, turning around in a slow circle to take it all in.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't spend much time in here, so I don't really notice." He walked into a large closet and looked around for some clothes.

"So this is your room, but you don't spend time in here?"

"Yeah, Hikaru and I usually share a bed." He walked out of the closet with a small stack of clothes. "I have trouble sleeping without someone next to me. Well, here. These should fit alright. I would give you something from one of Mom's collections, but we don't have a lot of time before the stain sets in."

She looked down at the clothes he had just given her: pajama pants and a light blue button-up shirt. "These will do just fine."

"You can go into the bathroom right there. I'll change here. Just throw your dress down the laundry chute; they'll attend to it immediately." She nodded and turned to change.

_As Arisu splashed water on her face, she couldn't help but think of how much nicer Kaoru's bathroom was. It didn't smell like vomit, cigarette smoke, and booze. His bathroom smelled like him: like sunshine after a big storm, like something fresh and clean. Also, Kaoru's bathroom promised the sight of him on the other side of the door. This one only promised more cigarette smoke, booze, sweaty people, and Elena. _

_She approached the Englishwoman quietly, tugging on her sleeve to catch her attention. "Elena, I want to go home. I really want to go home."_

_"Okay, Arisu. We'll go now." Arisu didn't have the guts to admit to Elena that she wasn't talking about the dorm room. The dorm room wasn't home. No, Japan—Japan was where home was waiting for her. And Arisu didn't know when she would get to see home again._

Arisu changed quickly. She was surprisingly deft for being so drunk. She threw her dress down the laundry chute, as instructed, and opened the door. There, she found Kaoru standing with his back to her, pulling a button-up shirt on. "Oh, that was fast," he said turning. Arisu was impressed by the athletic build of the redhead's torso. She wanted to reach out and run a hand over it, as if to make sure that it wasn't an illusion, but she resisted. "Your buttons are messed up," he observed. She looked down to see that he was right; she had accidentally skipped a few buttons in random places. Kaoru smiled and walked towards her. "Here, I'll help."

He worked slowly, deliberately, being careful not to expose too much of the girl in front of him, so as not to make either of them uncomfortable. Arisu felt like a small child. All she could do was stand there and stare at the pretty boy who was helping her get dressed. She took that time to memorize little bits of his face; the exact color of his eyes, the way his hair flipped over his forehead, the way he held his mouth open slightly as he buttoned up her shirt.

"Hey, Kaoru?"

"Hmmm?" He tilted his head slightly and smiled, never lifting his eyes from his work.

"If I do something, do you promise to not make fun of me or get mad?" she asked timidly.

"That depends." He smirked at her dejected face. "Well, you just do it and we'll go from there." He finished buttoning up her last button and looked at his handiwork. "There, perfect." He smiled and started to stand up to his full height.

She decided that if she was going to do it, right then was the time. She took a drunken step forward and tripped over Kaoru's foot. That time, the redhead didn't have enough time to react. Kaoru fell backwards, holding Arisu to him automatically so she wouldn't get hurt from the fall. To his surprise, the two landed on something big and soft: his bed.

"It's lucky that this was here. Someone's awfully clumsy tonight," he joked, sending a wink to the dark haired girl who was lying atop of him. Kaoru released his hold on the girl, expecting her to rush to get off him.

Instead, she leaned up to his face and planted a slow, sweet kiss on his lips. When she broke away, she looked down at his grinning face and frowned. "You promised you wouldn't laugh."

"I didn't promise anything," he reminded her. She glowered and made a move to get off of him. Kaoru would have none of it. He grabbed her wrist and flipped their positions before the girl could even respond. "And just where do you think you're going?" He grinned and leaned down to kiss the confused girl before him.

His kiss was nothing like Arisu's. Hers was sweet and timid; his was definite and full of want. Yet with that, he still managed to make it tender and caring; the very personality traits that separated him from his brother.

It wasn't long before Kaoru slowly moved the two of them closer to the middle of the large bed and he started unbuttoning his handiwork. Arisu, on the other hand, had long since removed Kaoru's shirt and was enjoying the feeling of Kaoru's smooth, quickly warming skin on her fingertips.

When the two looked back on the incident independently, they both admitted that their drunken relations that night weren't the best idea. But, if they hadn't gone through with those relations, things would have been very much the same as they were before. That would have made for a very boring story. And if there's one thing that both Kaoru Hitachiin and Arisu Hirohata dislike very much, it's a boring story.

_Arisu was drunk; even more so than that night with Kaoru. At least that night, she could still control her own actions. Her judgment may have been clouded, but the night she went drinking with Elena, she couldn't stand up straight or control what was coming out of her mouth. _

_"You're lucky you have such a nice roommate, Arisu. Most people wouldn't practically _carry_ their roommates up two flights of stairs," Elena complained, heaving the Japanese girl onto her bed before helping her to take off her coat. "You, my friend, are _smashed._" _

_"Th-thank y-you, Elena. You're the-the _greatest_!"_

_"I know I am. Now take these and go to sleep." She held out three little blue pills and a bottle of water._

_"Why? These won't hurt my baby, will they?"_

_Elena's eyes grew wide instantly. "What? You're pregnant? And you went out drinking? What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"_

_"Well, I-I'm not really sure. We didn't use protection. We were too drunk to remember to. And I haven't had a period yet, so…" she giggled stupidly and yawned._

_"You better goddamned well hope that you aren't, Arisu. I will kill you if there's something wrong with it because you were an idiot."_

_"How is it _my_ fault? _You're _the one who made _me_ to go drinking. I didn't really have a choice. And it's okay. I wouldn't keep it anyway. Kaoru would freak out if I ever told him. He'd want me to keep it, I know he would. But hopefully there isn't anything to keep!" She giggled again before taking the pills. "Don't w-worry, Elena. I don't think I am."_

_"How do you know, Arisu?"_

_The girl smiled sleepily before replying, "Non-mother's intuition."_

_Elena rolled her eyes. "Any other secrets you've been keeping from me?"_

_She thought over it for a few seconds before putting on a serious face and confessing, "I slept with Kaoru."_

_"…Go to bed, you dumb broad."_

_Arisu giggled for a few moments before turning over and sighing in absolute comfort. And for a few drunken moments before she fell asleep, Arisu was home; warm and safe in the home that consisted of Kaoru Hitachiin's arms. _

_

* * *

_

"_**I'll keep you my dirty little secret. Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret. My dirty little secret. Who has to know?" –**_**Dirty Little Secret—All-American Rejects**


	8. No Ambition

**A/N:** Hmmm... that was rather fast updating for me. Oh, the joys of spring break! But now it's nearly over...and I have a report due... *sigh* So, here's the eighth chapter. It's not super-special-awesome, but it kinda goes more into what Kaoru was thinking throughout this whole ordeal. I'm not super impressed with this chapter, but it's not exactly awful either...I hope... Anyway, I'm super-hungry so I will leave you to the eighth chapter. Read it, enjoy it, and review if you feel like it. If not, that's cool as well. I just hope you'll continue following this story to the end. Which, I will totally finish this one. *pinky promise*

**To my favorite people in the world right now, my reviewers: Princess Kitana18** (Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like my humble little story. I really hope you continue reading. :)), **iflip4dolphins** (Okay, I seriously laughed out loud at your obligatory warning. XD Unfortunately, I don't think this chapter tops the last one in any way, shape, or form, but I have big plans for next chapter...BIG plans... ;)), **blaqkpython** (Why thank you! I do hope you continue reading!)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. If I did, I would force them to become bull riders! XD I'm under the impression that Hunny-senpai would win.**

* * *

She frowned as light filtered in through the windows. Her head pounded and her body was sore. She turned over slowly to avoid the sunlight that assaulted her eyes only to find that she wasn't alone. She looked upon the sleeping face of Kaoru Hitachiin. He looked angelic; the way a few strands of his messy, red hair fell over his right eye, the way his perfect, pale skin seemed to glow in the slight sunlight, how he held his mouth open slightly as he slept. Arisu was between admiring the young man before her and trying to figure out why she was naked, in a bed with him.

Kaoru's golden eyes opened slowly and he smiled softly. "Good morning, Ari," he yawned. "What are we doing here? Wait, this is my room…I suppose that's okay then…" He gave the confused, hung-over girl a kiss on the forehead before he wrapped his arms around her and fell back to sleep.

There was still too much alcohol in her system for Arisu to think straight, so she lazily smiled and decided that she'd figure out what was going on _after_ she got some more sleep.

_"Arisu! Arisu!"_

_"Why are you yelling?" the Japanese girl groaned, pulling a blanket over her head._

_"Here," Elena threw a bottle of pills at the hung-over girl and continued, "take those, drink something, and get some food. Your hangover will only get worse if you don't."_

_Arisu groaned again and uncovered her head just so she could glare at her roommate. "Why aren't _you_ hung over?" she demanded._

_"I go out drinking with my brother all the time. I'm used to it. Now do what I said! I'm going to class. Bye!" She slammed the door shut, gaining a groan from Arisu. _

_She hated being hung over. One would think that she would have learned her lesson the first time. Unfortunately, that was not the case. She couldn't tell what was worse: being hung over in a dorm room with Elena Ackerman as a roommate, or being hung over and waking up in a strange boy's bed. She mentally shrugged. They both were pretty bad in her book._

Kaoru awoke with a splitting headache and a warm body in his arms; a warm body that certainly wasn't Hikaru. He looked down at Arisu; her long, dark hair covered most of his arm as her head rested gently on his shoulder. The thing that he found most odd was their nakedness, along with how his fingers were entwined securely with hers. Kaoru blushed. He remembered vaguely what had happened the night before, but he was under the impression that it was all just a dream; an utterly _perfect_ dream.

He reddened at the thought_. Did he and Arisu really…?_ No, that would have been impossible. And yet, the facts were nestled in his arms. He tried to remember exactly what had happened. His headache only allowed the vaguest of memories to surface at that time: she spilled her drink on them, they went to his room, he lent her clothes, she kissed him, he kissed her, they undressed…and that was about where his memory failed him. But looking down at the girl's messy hair and the small bite marks on her neck and collarbone, he could only deduce what had happened in their drunken state.

He had had sex and he couldn't even remember it.

He looked back down at Arisu and couldn't help but smile. He always held a certain affinity towards her. He hadn't told anyone, not even Hikaru. He assumed that he had told the object of his affections sometime the night before. Why else would she be unclothed and in his arms? He smiled contentedly and planted a kiss in the girl's hair. She stirred.

"Hey, Ari," was the most intelligent thing he could think of to say as Arisu opened her eyes and gave him a questioning look.

"Um, hey," she answered groggily. She looked around the room in confusion. "Where are we? And, um, why are we not wearing any clothes?" She blushed deeply at her own statement, observing their immense lack of clothing.

He answered in a hoarse voice, "Well, we're in my room, and I don't really know how to answer your second question…"

What he said was the truth. They were, indeed, in his room and he really didn't know how to answer her question. He had deduced what they did, but he didn't want to admit it. A part of him was ashamed; ashamed because he was not able to control himself. But then again, it was partially her fault. She didn't attempt to stop him. In fact, she kissed him first. If she hadn't kissed him, he doubted that they would have been in that situation.

Arisu struggled to remember what was going on, with no avail. "Oh. Well, I think I should probably go home now…" she said in that quiet, rushed way that people in awkward situations do.

"I guess you're right." Despite his statement, he didn't move. Regardless of how awkward and ashamed he felt, he wanted her to stay where she was: enveloped in his arms. He felt so much warmer and comfortable with her there.

"Um, Kaoru? I need you to let go of me…"

"Oh, right." He unwillingly snapped out of his little delusion and loosened his grip on her. The two rose from the bed and got dressed with their backs to each other on opposite sides of the room, both a ridiculous shade of red.

Kaoru wanted to say or do something. He didn't think that it should be that incredibly uncomfortable between them. After all, they had slept together. They were drunk at the time, but Kaoru's actions were completely sincere. He had a feeling that her doings were also genuine, otherwise she wouldn't have kissed him or let him go so far. He glanced toward the girl, trying to decide what to say. What _could_ he say? Nothing; there was nothing he could say or do to remove the cloud that loomed over the two of them. It was a mix of shame and misunderstanding. "Do you want me to take you home?" he asked, clearing his throat. Arisu couldn't find the words to respond, so she merely nodded.

_Arisu gave an aggravated sigh as the bottle of painkillers rolled off her bed and onto the floor before going under Elena's bed. She groaned and held her head as she made herself rise and pursue the bottle of magical pills. She lay down on her stomach and moved her arms about blindly in front of her. She was surprised when her fingers brushed over glossy pieces of paper and a piece of parchment before she located the pill bottle. Out of sheer curiosity, she pulled the paper from under the bed and threw them on her bed. Once she had taken the pills, she sat down to investigate the papers that were scattered underneath her roommate's bed. She picked up the parchment first, her eyes moistening as she recognized the childishly elegant handwriting: _

"Ari-chan,

I wish you would talk to us again. Tama-chan and Haru-chan said that they sent you some emails, but you never answered. Did we do something wrong?

The club is busy as usual. Your brother has been delivering for us since you left. I guess you could say that everything is like it was before you started talking to us. Well, almost everything is. Kao-chan seems distracted. He and Hika-chan have been arguing more than usual. Maybe you should call or write him. I think he misses you. We all do.

Love,

Hunny

P.S. Usa-chan misses you especially! ^^"

_She quickly took up the photographs and started looking through them. One was a group picture of them in tropical-wear, one was Hunny and Mori smiling at the camera dressed as samurai, another was of Kyoya sitting next to Tamaki as he struck a ridiculous pose, yet another was of Hikaru and Haruhi dressed in what was dubbed "commoner's clothing." Arisu smiled and laughed at the pictures, though her head still pounded. She missed them all so much. She hadn't realized how much a part of her life the Host Club had become within those short months that she knew them. She felt tears prickling at her eyes, threatening to fall down her cheeks. She wasn't sad, really, just homesick. She looked at the backs and noticed that everyone had written a little note to her: _

"_When are you going to come eat cake with me, Ari-chan? –Hunny," _

"_Yeah –Mori," _

"_The guests enjoy your deserts. They keep asking me when you will come back so they may compliment you. –Kyoya," _

"_ARISU-SAN! When are you coming BACK? We miss you! Come back! –Tamaki," _

"_When are you coming back? Kaoru and I miss our toy! –Hikaru,"_

"_I hope you're having fun in England. Make sure to take lots of pictures. I'd really like to see them when you come back. –Haruhi"_

_She smiled at their words. It didn't seem like anything had really changed since she left; they were all the same, crazy hosts she knew before._

_She slowly gathered up the photographs, looking at each one of them again through her tears, laughing at their ridiculous expressions. It wasn't until she was through the photos a third time that she noticed the one that still laid face-down on her bedspread. She picked it up, expecting yet another silly picture of the Host Club members, only to be completely wrong._

_There, in her hand, rested a picture of her reason; her reason to run away. Just looking at that photograph of him upset her. Kaoru was wearing his school uniform, staring out the raindrop-speckled window, one arm propping up his head. He looked terrible. There were small purple circles around his eyes and he looked completely preoccupied; like the world he was in wasn't good enough, so he had to come up with his own. She turned it over so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore only to find some small writing on the back. It wasn't so much writing as it was scribbled-out words. It seemed as though the writer of the note finally just gave up on saying anything and just wrote his name quickly, "—Kaoru."_

_Arisu wasn't sure if she was angry or sad. After all that had happened, all he could write to her was his name? Who would do that kind of thing?_

_Kaoru couldn't sleep. He had too much running through his mind and no one sleeping next to him. He and Hikaru had stopped sharing a bed shortly after that night. Kaoru would find himself putting his arms around his older brother in the middle of the night. It was okay when they did such things during club hours, because during that time, he was fully aware of what he was doing. _

_He and Hikaru had argued about it, and they finally came to the decision that they would each sleep in their respective rooms. Kaoru was happy that he wouldn't wake up with his twin in his arms, thinking it was Arisu, anymore. But he wasn't happy that he had to sleep in a bed alone due to his recently-developed habit. He just couldn't sleep without another person's steady breathing next to him. He couldn't close his eyes without the muffled, steady sound of another's heart beating beside him. He couldn't sleep knowing that Arisu was in another continent, and it was probably his fault. _

_Why did he have to be so stupid? How could he just let her leave like that? Everything had changed after that night and even more so after she left. Because he kept trying to cuddle Hikaru in his sleep, they moved to separate rooms, making sleep impossible for Kaoru. This made him irritable, which provoked more fights between he and his twin, which made their hosting style more strained. Kyoya was upset with their decline in customers, which caused him to be more prone to evil schemes. Unfortunately for Haruhi, she was usually the subject of these schemes, and this caused tension between Tamaki and Kyoya. _

_Kaoru sighed deeply and flipped over again, hoping in vain to see another body beside him. Everything that was going wrong was his fault, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. He had tried to write letters to her, but he never knew how to start. "I'm sorry I slept with you and ruined everything?" No. "We all miss you?" No. "I really miss you?" No. "Please come back?" No. _

_He was tired of it all. He was tired of remembering, tired of coming up with excuses, tired of trying to find things to say, tired of trying to fix everything. He wished that he could have just had an easy fix. But, that wasn't the way the world worked. He flipped over and sighed yet again. "Things would be so much easier if I could just sleep…" he groaned quietly, taking a pillow up in his arms. It wasn't quite the same, but he found it slightly more comforting. _

The ride to Arisu's house was awkward for the both of them. They sat next to each other, or rather; they sat on the same side of the limo. They each looked out their respective windows, doing anything to avoid eye contact. Kaoru didn't like it. He'd always been under the impression that he'd be married, or at least in love, before he slept with someone. But was he sure that he _wasn't_ in love? No. But he barely knew Arisu. He hadn't really talked to her except the night before. They could hardly even be considered _friends_, let alone _lovers_. He was confused. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and take the girl's hand, as if her not pulling away would confirm something. He resisted. Kaoru didn't want to seem clingy, or like he was trying to pressure her in any way. But…

His thoughts were cut short as the limo pulled up to the Hirohata estate. "Um, thanks for taking me home," she said quietly, not wanting to look him in the face.

"Yeah, sure, anytime," he replied, looking down. He wanted to say so much more than that. He wanted to say that he was sorry and how much he liked her and how he wanted to still talk to her, even if she didn't feel the same way. But he remained silent about such things. Instead, he slid over to her as she opened the limo's door and planted a quick, friendly kiss on her cheek. They both turned red instantly. "Um, bye."

"B-bye," she stammered as she quickly got out of the limo and staggered her way through the bright sunlight to her front door.

Things were uncomfortable between them for the next week or so. Whenever Arisu came to deliver things, the two would never make eye contact or go beyond saying anything but the typical pleasantries when forced. The other hosts found it odd, but they didn't feel that it was their place to say anything; except Hikaru. "Kaoru! Arisu! What the hell's wrong with you two? You're avoiding each other all the time. What happened? Is there something going on that I should know about? Huh?" It was around that time that the twins would begin bickering and Arisu would silently excuse herself.

Halfway through that week, Arisu approached her parents during dinner. "Mama, Papa, I wish to go to the school Yukio told you about."

"The specialty school in England?"

"Why do you want to go all of a sudden, sweetheart?" her mother asked as she took a sip of wine.

Arisu fell silent for a few moments before she replied carefully, "I've had time to think about it and I think that it's the best course of action. Yukio can't run his café alone forever, and there's only so much I can do without any qualifications. I want to be his business partner someday, and I'm sure this is the only way I can do that without having to wait five or more years."

Her parents shared a look and nodded in approval. "Wait, so Arisu gets to move to _England_? No fair!"

"It's not my fault you have no ambition, Akio," Arisu replied to her older brother's complaints.

"You don't want to go to England, Arisu," he said, eyes narrowing, "you just don't want to be in Japan anymore for some unknown reason…"

"…I don't know what you're talking about, Akio."

"I think you do, Arisu. The only problem is that the reason is kind of unknown, so I kind of have no idea what it is…But it exists!"

The siblings continued to bicker before their parents stepped in, causing the subject to finally die. So it was then decided: Arisu would go to England and she would finally be able to leave everything behind. Or, so she thought.

* * *

"_**He says, 'Green is the color that everyone sees all around me. Grey is the color I see around her; she's just a blur. Night after night while I hear what I write fills the room and my head starts to sway. It might be for her but for now it's between green and grey.' 'I want you to love me,' he whispers, unable to speak. And he wonders aloud why feelings so strong make the body so weak. Then he awoke; now he's scared to death somebody heard, 'If it was you and you know her, please don't say a word.'" –Green and Grey—Nickel Creek**_


	9. So What If I Did?

**A/N:** Um, hey guys. Sorry it took so long to write this one... Please don't kill me? I kinda like this chapter, though I'm slightly afraid that there's too much drama or that the characters are a bit OOC. Please forgive me if they are? *insert cute Hunny-senpai begging face here* Anyway, here it is: the next chapter of Affinity. And seriously, if you guys wanna suggest something...anything you want to happen in the story, please do so. It gives me something to work towards. :P

**As always, thanks to my lovely reviewers: _Princess Kitana18_**(All in good time, my friend...all in good time. And I'm really not completely sure Mori even knows any language at all. O.O), _**iflip4dolphins**_****(Thank you for your praise. :) This one is kinda from Kaoru's head too...kinda.), **_Crazymusician22_ **(Oh hey there! I missed you! :D Good to see you again. Sorry the update took literally forever. ^^"), _**XxMichyBabyxX** _(Why, hello there. I know it's not soon, but...here's an update! :D), _**xOxO Lost Angel OxOx** _(Thank you very much! You're too kind! Here's an update, though not very soon. ^^")

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. If I did, these characters would all be real and I would use them as slaves for my entertainment...except in a more literal sense rather than a fanfiction-y sense.

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_**London, England**_

Arisu awoke suddenly from a long nap on her culinary book. She felt around blindly for her cell phone that rang loudly. Flipping it open, she grumbled, "Hello?" Rapid Japanese answered her on the other end. "Wait, what?" Her eyes widened. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She put some clothes in a bag, grabbed her passport, and wrote a hasty note to her roommate. She bolted out of the room, slamming the door behind her, leaving nothing but silence and a mess in her wake.

_**The Hitachiin Estate, Japan**_

He would never forgive himself. He had more or less done what happens in every chick-flic he'd ever seen: he let the girl get away. Though, unlike the handsome Americans on the screen, Kaoru was absolutely convinced that he wouldn't get the girl. He had missed his chance. He could have stopped her. He could have _done_ something; _said_ something—anything—to keep her near him. But he didn't. Like the coward he was deep down, Kaoru shirked away from anything that took him away from his brother's side. He felt a certain responsibility towards Hikaru. They had been together since the very beginning. Hikaru was a part of him; the part whose feelings couldn't be ignored.

Despite being the younger twin, he always felt the need to be the more protective one. Hikaru was too rash to make it alone. He didn't understand that the world wasn't his plaything. It was Kaoru's _duty_ to keep his other half under control. It had always been that way. And since birth, Kaoru had never once considered leaving his brother's side.

But then, she came along. It seemed as though with a blush and bat of an eye, that girl took over his world. She became his unattainable goal without him even realizing. She wormed her way into his thoughts, into his dreams, into his being. And he didn't notice; not until it was too late.

He remembered so clearly the day she left. Her elder brother, Akio, came with the delivery that day. When they asked where Arisu was, they received a puzzled look and the simple reply of, "At the airport. Didn't you know? She transferred to a school in England." The seven of them froze as it sank in. Arisu, their little delivery girl, moved to England. Akio was soon assaulted by questions that would remain unanswered as Kaoru made his way to a couch and sat.

"This…is all my fault."

Three months later, Kaoru still remembers that day so clearly. You never forget when your world shatters. You never forget when your unattainable goal turns into an undoubtedly impossible one. You never forget when your heart breaks into a million tiny shards.

Kaoru sat in an armchair, looking out his bedroom window. The day was slowly shifting into night as he watched. The oranges and pinks blended in with the dark purples and greys of the clouds. It was really quite beautiful, but the boy only sighed deeply and rested his hand on a fist. He was interrupted from his musings by the sound of a door swinging open.

"Hey," Hikaru walked into his brother's room, hands stuffed in his jean pockets. Kaoru nodded slightly, surprised to see his twin in his bedroom. "You've been acting strange lately and I don't like it," he said shortly. Hikaru never was one to beat around the bush.

"I don't know if 'strange' is the right word for it…"

"What's wrong with you? You've been acting all depressed and weird lately. It's kind of pissing me off."

"My bad. I'll be sure to think of your feelings the next time I'm upset," he replied sarcastically, glaring at his brother.

"See, just like that! You've been doing all kinds of weird stuff! You tried to cuddle with me, you talk in your sleep, you're constantly depressed, and you've been acting like a real dick!" Hikaru was livid, he had pent up these frustrations for three months and he finally got to let them loose.

"No, _you're_ the one being a dick here! You can tell that I'm upset and yet you just shun me until you decide it's too much for you to handle? What kind of brother does that? You're so selfish, Hikaru! You don't care about what I'm feeling until it's an inconvenience to _you_."

"Why do you have to be like this? You've been like this since…since…" Hikaru paused, finally figuring out the source of his younger brother's melancholy. "…since Arisu-san left."

"What?" Kaoru asked, irritated by his brother's angry stare.

"Why are you upset because _she_ left? She was just a toy, a plaything, nothing more than something to waste time with. You can't honestly expect me to believe that you like her." An awkward silence ensued and Hikaru gave his younger counterpart a look of disgust. "You can't be serious. Her? Why her? What's so special about her?"

Kaoru stared at his brother with contempt. "I could sit here and tell you a million reasons why she's special. I could tell you countless moments that are so insignificant when shared with everyone else, but with her, they're everything. I could tell you absolutely everything about her and me, but it would be a waste of time because you don't care and you wouldn't understand."

"Oh my god. You slept with her, didn't you?" Silence. "Didn't you?"

"So what if I did?"

"You…I can't believe you! You slept with a girl that you hardly even know? What is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong' with me? Isn't that almost exactly what we do at the Host Club; flirt with girls we don't know just to make ourselves feel better?" Kaoru asked, nostrils flaring. "And don't give me that crap that Milord says about trying to make every girl happy. It's all lies! All we do is flirt and raise hopes and have empty relationships with empty girls. I don't want that anymore."

"How do you know Arisu-san isn't just going to be another empty relationship, little brother? Tell me that."

"I just know, okay? Everything she said and did was more real than anything. And I don't care how much you resent her or me; it doesn't change anything." Kaoru pushed past his twin and moved to the front door, Hikaru following him. Kaoru grabbed the coat a maid handed to him and asked her to get him a driver immediately.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm doing what I should have done months ago."

"And what's that?"

"I'm going to go be selfish for once."

* * *

Elena cursed, throwing her blankets towards the foot of the bed and getting up. Whoever was at the door was going to get a talking to, that was for sure. It was the one day a week she got to sleep in and here some bloody git was pounding on her door at ten in the morning! She unlocked the door and began yelling before it was even open. "What the blood-soaked hell is the big idea? Aren't I allowed to sleep in like—oh. Um, hello. Do…do I know you?"

The redheaded boy looked at her, confused. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and read off slowly, not wanting to make any mistakes, "Hello. My name is Hitachiin, Kaoru. Is this where Hirohata, Arisu lives?"

She stared at him for a moment, trying to soak it all in. "Wait…_you're_ Kaoru?" He nodded. "Well, Arisu certainly has done well for herself, hasn't she?" she mumbled. "Sorry, but Arisu's not here right now, though you may as well come in anyway. She left two days ago for Japan. I expect her back later today or early tomorrow." Kaoru looked at her, not really understanding what the Englishwoman was saying to him, as she spoke at such a rapid pace. "Oh right. You're from Japan. You speak Japanese. I'm so stupid sometimes…" She brought her laptop to life and brought up Google Translate. "Well, this is as good a time as any to work on pronunciation…" Elena proceeded to speak to the boy in broken Japanese, barely getting her point across.

Once she was finished, he nodded and yawned. It had been a long and stressful flight from Japan to London and it was finally taking its toll. "You look tired," Elena said, pointing out the obvious. "Well, seeing as Arisu isn't here yet, feel free to use her bed. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I wouldn't say no to more sleep, myself."

"I do not know that it would be…appropriate for me to sleep in the same room with…"

"Relax, kid. This is Europe. We aren't so strict about that. You just stay on your side of the room, and I'll stay on mine. Got it?"

Kaoru nodded and kicked off his shoes. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep, clinging to her pillow. Sure, it wasn't nearly as comforting as a live person, but her scent was the closest thing to comfort he'd had in months. And Kaoru decided that close enough was good enough…for now.

* * *

"_**Waking the neighbors, unfamiliar faces; he pleads, though he tries, but he's only denied. Now he's dying to get inside. Forgive me, I'm trying to find my calling, I'm calling at night; I don't mean to be a bother, but have you seen this girl? She's been running through my dreams and it's driving me crazy, it seems. I'm gonna ask her to marry me." –Remembering Sunday-All Time Low**_


	10. Two Conditions

**A/N: **...Hey, guys. So...I've had this written for like two months, but I was really self-conscious about it, because I thought it was stupid. But then, I read it again today and realized...I'm fucking hilarious. So, I'm sorry if it's not good, but I laughed, so I think it's funny. Also, this will conclude Affinity. Thanks to all of you who stuck around to the end. This is actually the first serial I've finished on my own. I know it took a long time, but I'm glad so many of you liked it so much. You guys are great.

**Special thanks to my lovely reviewers, who are special and excellent in every way: ****iflip4dolphins** (Thank you so much for sticking around, no matter how long it took me to update. I always loved your reviews especially and I really hope you like the ending.), **S. McIntosh** (O.O I was kinda really afraid when I got your review. I thought you were going to kill me because you're a stranger from the internet, but then I didn't die, so I figured all was well. Anyway, thanks for your enthusiasm and I hope you enjoy the conclusion of Affinity.)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. But you already knew that.

* * *

**London, England**

It was about six in the evening when she arrived in the London airport. She had only gone to Japan for two days in response to her eldest brother's frantic phone call. The only thing she remembered doing next was packing a few clothes and rushing to catch the next possible flight to Tokyo. She was met by the family's sleek, black limo once she disembarked the plane and was rushed to Ohtori Tokyo Hospital.

She burst into the hospital room, finding Kichiro and his wife smiling down at the little bundle in his arms. Her typically-distant brother greeted her with affection and handed her the little bundle, cooing to the baby, "Here, my little Emiko. Meet your Aunt Arisu." The baby girl looked up at her aunt with big, brown eyes and a gummy smile. Only a few hours old, and she was already so content with the world. Arisu smiled and reached for the little hand of her niece with her index finger. The little girl wrapped her little fingers around it and gurgled. Arisu couldn't help but grin.

Arisu held that picture close to her chest: the first photo of her and her niece, taken by a proud Kichiro. She sighed as she made her way up the two flights of stairs to reach her dorm room. Knowing the door would be unlocked, she pushed the door open unceremoniously with her elbow, not even bothering to look around the room. She immediately set her bags down and began unpacking. She hated to not be settled in. "Elena! I'm an aunt! I have a niece!" she exclaimed, not looking at her roommate. She continued to blabber on as she unpacked. "Her name is Emiko. She's so small. But she has the biggest smile I've ever seen on a baby. She's just the cutest—"

She turned and her grin faded as her dark eyes met green-gold ones. She stared with her mouth hanging open and a blush on her cheeks. She didn't know what to do. She was completely and utterly torn. The Arisu who left Japan to get away from her problems wanted to run out the door and never look back. But, the Arisu who liked Kaoru, who kissed Kaoru, who slept with Kaoru, she wanted to run sobbing into his arms, saying how sorry she was for everything and how much she missed him. So she just stood there, mouth open slightly, blush obvious and waited for him to do something, anything.

He watched her. Maybe going there wasn't such a good idea. She looked upset—terrified, even. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? He was nervous. She was the only girl that had ever made him nervous. He didn't know what to do. He didn't put much thought into what he would say once they actually met again. He had just wanted, no, _needed_ to see her. And in light of what he and Elena had been talking about before Arisu burst in, it seemed as though she needed him right then as well. He tried a smile, but it felt forced and awkward. "Hey." His voice sounded gruff and quiet.

"Hey," she replied in barely a whisper.

Elena's eyes darted between the two of them. She slowly rose up from her position on her bed and made a grab for her purse and jacket. "Well, that's my cue to leave." Arisu shot her a pleading look, begging her not to go, Kaoru didn't even pretend to know what she was saying. "Kurt's expecting me at the pub. And being the lovely brother he is, he's buying." She forced a smile, something Elena had very little trouble doing. "Bye." And with that, she was out the door.

Arisu went back to staring at the floor. She couldn't even count on Elena to help her out of this. It was Kaoru who broke the silence. He sat on the edge of Arisu's bed, his hands clasped in front of him, elbows on his knees, eyes downcast. "Why didn't you tell me, Ari?" Her head shot up at the nickname that had become unfamiliar over the months. Their eyes met for a brief moment, hers filled with confusion, his filled with pain. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have come sooner."

She stole another glance and whispered, "What are you talking about, Kaoru?"

He exhaled sharply and replied hoarsely, gazing at her with those beautiful eyes of his, "Why didn't you tell me you're pregnant?" She stared at him for a long moment. How did he know about that? She hadn't told anyone of her suspicions…but she did get drunk that one night with Elena. It must have slipped out. She was going to say something in protest, but he continued, "You should have told me. Even if you hate me, I still have a right to know that I'm going to be a father." He looked away from her for a moment before returning to her gaze. "I'm sorry about everything, Ari. I understand if you hate me. I understand that you probably came here to get away from me. But, I miss you, Ari. I miss you every day. I never realized how much I came to like you until after that night. I was afraid. I was afraid of liking someone in that way. You're the first girl that I didn't want to share with Hikaru. So, maybe, if you don't hate me, we can do this the right way. For our child. For us." He gave a forced smirk before standing and walking over to her. "I always thought I'd be older when I would finally do this." He got down on one knee and took her hand, opening his mouth to speak.

Arisu released herself from his grasp and put her hands up in surprise. "Kaoru, you're making a huge mistake!" she exclaimed. She helped him to his feet, though he was reluctant to do so, and clutched his hands in hers, looking up into his eyes. "Kaoru, there is no baby."

His face distorted into shock. "What? But Elena-san said…"

"Elena's full of shit. Well, at one point, I really _did_ think I was pregnant. But I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and it was just stress and depression giving off weird signals. Anyway, though I'm flattered by the offer, you don't want to marry me. We're young, and you have your adoring fangirls. I think being married would put a damper on club activities. I don't need to give Kyoya-kun any more reasons to hate me. Besides, you deserve an extraordinary, beautiful girl. You don't want to be stuck with me; baby or no."

She smiled sadly through misty eyes and sat down on her bed. "Why don't you go home now? I'm sure your brother misses you terribly."

He sat down next to her with hesitation. "I could say the same thing to you, too." They sat in silence. He was reminded of the awkward limo ride to her house after their night together. "You're wrong, you know," he said quietly.

"About what?" she sniffed. It was harder than she thought, facing her demons.

"A lot of things. Hikaru doesn't miss me. Kyoya would love for you to come back. My fangirls mean nothing to me. And I'm not so sure that I deserve any girl at all after what I did." There was only silence in response, and he continued, "But you were most wrong in saying that I don't want to be with you." She gave him a quick glance, not believing him. "I meant everything I said, Ari. I really did. I would have come here sooner if I hadn't been such a coward."

"Why would you be a coward? I travelled thousands of miles away just to escape my fears. I was afraid I'd never be good enough for you. I really like you, Kaoru. You're perfect. I just didn't want to wait for you to get bored with me, so I left before I could get hurt. And that night…it shouldn't have happened."

He gave a small smile and tentatively put his hand over hers. "I wouldn't take back that night for all the world. It was the most sincere experience of my life. I'd never felt so connected to someone before. And for once, I was Kaoru; just Kaoru, without a side of Hikaru. I felt like I was finally my own person, not just part of a matching set. And it felt amazing…until the only person I could be singular with, left. Then, I just felt empty. I had no one to fall back on. Hikaru was annoyed with me and I didn't trust anyone else. I guess, what I'm really trying to say is, Ari, will you be my girlfriend?"

She gave him a surprised look. "Kaoru, you're crazy."

"Why?"

"We can't. It's too much distance. And besides, I don't think many would approve…"

"I don't care about that. We can make it work. I'll visit you whenever I'm on break and you can come back to Japan whenever you have a break."

"And what about in-between breaks?"

"We'll write letters, email, video chat, call; I'll do anything and everything to make this work. If you want to be with me, that is." He gave one of his gentle, sideways smiles, making her heart, and her resolve, melt.

She spoke slowly, careful to say exactly what she meant. "If we were to do this, you can't let anyone in the Host Club know. It'll be bad for business and Kyoya will kill us. Also, I'd like to take it slower. We kind of skipped all the important parts the first time around. I hardly know anything about you, besides your sweets preference and that you're a lightweight."

The two shared a shy smile and Kaoru retaliated, "You're more of a lightweight than I am, if I remember correctly." She gave him a mock scowl before it quickly faded into his chuckle. "I agree to your terms, but now you need to agree to mine." She nodded, signaling for him to continue. "I only have two, really, and if you agree to the first, I'll tell you the second. All I really want is to be able to hold you sometimes. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since you left. I kept reaching out for you in my sleep, only to find an angry Hikaru in my arms the next morning. It wasn't a pretty sight.

She mulled it over for a moment and nodded. "I think that'll be alright. What's the second condition?"

He smiled devilishly and leaned in close, pressing his lips against hers in a sweet, tender kiss before whispering in her ear, "Please don't ever leave me alone with Elena-san ever again. She's so much like Milord, it's scary." Arisu couldn't help but giggle. She knew she couldn't be the only one who saw the resemblance.

A few hours later, Elena returned to her dark dorm room, expecting the worse. She used her cell phone to light the way to her desk lamp, which she turned on. A yellow glow spread through the room, illuminating Arisu's bed. There, Elena found her Japanese friend enveloped in the arms of a red-haired boy. Both slept peacefully, hands entwined together as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Elena couldn't help but smile.

What she was seeing wasn't love, not yet; and it went beyond a simple crush. She gazed at the couple, smiling in their blissful slumber, trying to think of the perfect word for this complicated mix of emotions. She stood and turned out the light before crawling into her own bed. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she thought of the perfect word to describe this strange couple and their strange story.

It was nothing more and nothing less than _Affinity._

* * *

"_**I still believe it's you and me 'til the end of time. When we collide, we come together. If we don't, we'll always be apart." –Many of Horror—Biffy Clyro**_


End file.
